10mm toughened and laminated glass, cut to your sizes. This is a laminated panel rather than a single pane: two pieces of 5mm toughened glass bonded with a 0.76mm interlayer, 10.76mm overall.

Some of our suppliers use a thicker interlayer, so the overall thickness may increase nominally. If that dimension is critical to your job, get in touch before ordering and we will confirm exactly what you will receive.

Why laminated rather than a single pane

The difference is what happens if the glass breaks. A single toughened pane, once broken, is gone — it collapses into granules and leaves the opening empty. In a laminated panel the interlayer holds the broken glass in place, so the panel stays in the opening and keeps doing its job until it can be replaced.

That is why laminated is specified where a panel leaving its opening would matter. If you are working out whether your balustrade needs it, our glass balustrade regulations guide covers where the handrail changes the answer.

Why people choose laminated in a framed balustrade

This is the honest position: in a framed balustrade you usually do not need laminated glass. BS 6180, the code of practice for barriers, treats a handrail as sufficient, and a framed run with a handrail in 10mm toughened is a perfectly proper balustrade.

People choose laminated anyway, and the reason is worth spelling out.

If a toughened panel breaks it is gone — it collapses into granules and leaves the opening empty. The handrail is still there, but so is the gap underneath it, and a small child can go straight through that gap. A laminated panel behaves differently: the interlayer holds the broken glass together, so the panel stays in the opening and stays a barrier until somebody comes to replace it.

That is why the customers who ask for it are most often on high balconies with young children. It is belt and braces, and they know it. It costs more than toughened and it is not required — but it removes a scenario people would rather not think about, and for a lot of families that is worth the difference.

It is a better conversation to have before you order than after, so if you are weighing it up, call us.

Ordering cut to size

Every panel is made to your own dimensions, to the millimetre. We do not hold standard sizes and there is no stock list to pick from — put the length and height you need into the calculator and the price shown is for that exact panel, cut and toughened for your job.

Tell us about any holes, cut-outs, notches or radius corners at the same time. Toughened glass cannot be cut or drilled once it has been through the furnace, so everything has to be done before it is toughened and nothing can be trimmed on site. For anything unusual use our bespoke toughened glass service.

This listing is for glass only. Complete systems with the glass sized to suit are in our balustrade category, and we supply the glass clamps and balustrade components separately if you are building it yourself.

Edges and corners

All edges are polished, and corners have a proper 5mm radius as standard unless otherwise specified. Worth knowing when you compare quotes — a lot of suppliers will give you a dubbed corner instead, the sharp point simply knocked off, which is quicker to do and is not the same thing. Full details on our material and finish standards page.

Standards

All glass is toughened in accordance with BS EN 12150 and BS EN 12600.

Which laminate thickness?

Once you are into laminated glass the thickness is decided by three things: whether the run is inside or outside, how much frame is holding the panel, and whether it is domestic or commercial.

• 13.5mm — external balustrade with no handrail in a posted system, or an internal frameless balustrade with no handrail.
• 17.5mm — external frameless balustrade with no handrail.
• 21.5mm — external frameless balustrade, commercial.

If your balustrade does have a handrail, you may not need laminated at all — a framed run is usually 10mm toughened and frameless with a handrail is usually 15mm toughened. Our glass balustrade regulations guide explains why the handrail changes the answer.

More information

• Buying toughened glass online
• Types of glass
• Glass toughening
• All you need to know about toughened glass

Delivery

Laminated glass is 4 weeks from order; check terms for excluded zones. Glass travels crated and has to be signed for and checked on arrival, so open the crate before the driver leaves. Made-to-size glass cannot be returned, as with any bespoke item.

Send your sizes to sales@diometonline.co.uk or call 0114 243 9009.

A note on specification

The guidance on this page reflects what we typically supply for jobs of this kind, and is offered in good faith to help you order the right thing. It is not a structural specification and it is not a substitute for project-specific design. Barrier heights, spans, loadings, fixings, substrates and exposure all vary from site to site, and the final specification for your project remains the responsibility of you, your designer, your structural engineer or your building control body. We manufacture and supply to the sizes and specification you give us. If you are unsure, send us the details before ordering and we will tell you what we would normally supply for a job like yours.